Living for War: The Collin War Chronicles

by W. C. Hoffman

  Specialist Turnbull stood in the next room as security for the two young people sitting across from Collin. Even though he’d been on overwatch to provide covering fire when they infiltrated Mac’s property, Specialist Turnbull hadn’t seen Mac escape. He did snipe one of the guys defending the barn. That kill and the one from the boat meant Mac had suffered losses, too.

  “I’m Ketan and this is Hannah,” the young man said, standing quickly and offering his hand.

  Collin shook it and then sat down. “She told me. My name is Collin War. I’m sort of in charge of the Eagles, which are the soldiers here.”

  They both just looked at him.

  Collin shifted in his seat. There was no smooth way to start questioning them so he just dove right in.

  “How long have you been here?” he asked.

  “At least a few weeks,” Hannah said, not lifting her head from Ketan’s shoulder. He kissed her forehead.

  Specialist Turnbull must have been listening because he asked, “Where did you come from?”

  Collin almost snapped at him to stay on guard, but was too shocked. For some reason, he’d assumed they were from town. “Wait, you’re not from Goshen?”

  “No, we were stationed in a small town roughly ninety-five miles northwest of here called Kalispell,” Ketan said.

  “Stationed?” Collin asked.

  Ketan nodded. “HAGS sent us there as part of a Charlie Sector unit.”

  “You’re with HAGS?” Collin asked, the concern and anger in his voice was clear to both Hannah and Ketan.

  Neither of them flinched or protested. Maybe they were too tired to be startled, or simply too used to beatings. It didn’t excuse Mac’s behavior, but since they were HAGS agents, Collin could sort of understand why they’d been tied up.

  “We were with HAGS,” Ketan said. “Past tense.”

  “Why were you in Kalispell?” Collin asked. He knew the town quit well after having spent a few years there during high school. As the starting defensive end, Collin was a proud Kalispell High School Tiger.

  “Both of us were sent in at the very beginning.”

  “As spies?” Collin narrowed his eyes at them, finding his hand had instinctively rested on his pistol grip.

  “Nothing sinister like that. Well, not at first anyway. They sent us in to monitor the situation and help the town survive,” Ketan claimed. He put his arm around Hannah and kissed her head again. “Think of us as survival consultants.”

  Collin scoffed at the idea. “You helped people survive the problem your own company started? How’d that work out?”

  “It was fine at first. HAGS wanted to reduce the effect of their crops as much as possible. They rolled out BT76 right away, but there were logistical issues that plagued us for a long time,” Hannah said.

  “No shit.” Collin scowled at the young woman. “Dr. Denard mentioned Charlie Sector. How many sectors are there? How many ... survival consultants are there?”

  “We don’t really know. I only knew the ones from Delta Sector, Goshen basically. That’s why we came here when shit hit the fan in Charlie. We were looking for help,” Ketan said. Bitterness tinged his voice. “And then ... we ended up in that hell hole.” He jerked a thumb in the direction of the barn.

  “Who in Goshen works for HAGS?” Collin asked, almost demanding an answer.

  “A guy named Logan and, well, Calvin McTavish. But obviously Calvin went off the reservation.” Ketan grimaced. “Way off the deep end, that one.”

  “Mac and his friends beat us both, basically every day it seemed like. It was hard to keep track of days. We were usually blindfolded and gagged, but I paid attention and noticed the town is much quieter at night. It’s how I kept track of the days,” Hannah said, sitting up. “Can I have some more water please?”

  Before Collin could move, Specialist Turnbull stepped forward and picked up the glasses. When he turned away to refill them, the barrel of his gun bumped the table. Hannah and Ketan both stared at it in awe.

  “Mac was pissed when we told him HAGS was going to come for them. They had abandoned their assignments and the boss was mad for letting Goshen spin out of control,” Hannah said. “Charlie Sector had figured out a way of reducing the risk of fever. It was quite clever actually. Before everything went to shit, Kalispell had a thriving prepper group. A coalition of people who spent time preparing themselves and their families for any kind of disaster that might come along, natural or otherwise.”

  Specialist Turnbull returned with two full glasses of water. He stepped back and stood off to the side behind Collin.

  “Anyway, some of them kept seeds in their supplies and were generous enough to share them with the small community of survivors. They removed all the plants in the area other than what they replanted from the seeds. It was quite remarkable actually,” Hannah said, looking at the ceiling with a wistful look on her face. “Rather than staying secret and letting everyone tear each other apart, squabbling for scraps, these preppers banded together and essentially reestablished a working community.”

  “It wasn’t a cure, but during those early years when we had the logistics problems with BT76, the steps they took were crucial to their survival,” Ketan said. “Kalispell survived without the need for HAGS.”

  Collin was starting to see the picture they were painting. “Then what happened?”

  “Surviving without BT76 meant that HAGS lost their leverage,” Ketan said with a shrug.

  “They came in and –” Hannah’s voice faltered and she leaned against Ketan again. She started crying softly.

  “Bastards came in and fire bombed everything,” Ketan growled through clenched teeth. “People scattered every which way, some burned alive in the bombing, others in the inferno, some were gunned down as they tried to put out the fires, and others fled the town.”

  Ketan exhaled heavily. Deep sorrow and regret glistened in his eyes. “They destroyed every crop, storehouse, and dozens died in the resulting inferno. The town is penned in by mountains and a lake, so the fire was fairly well contained and it burned up everything. Whoever ran would likely fall to the fever and anyone staying would probably starve to death.”

  Collin nodded.

  “Why didn’t you bring anyone with you?” Specialist Turnbull asked.

  “At first we didn’t leave. We went to our emergency rendezvous spot and waited, expecting them to extract us.” Hannah wiped her eyes and drank some water. Her voice was still rough. “All we received was a message from a friend in the company that something was about to happen and we’d better leave forever.”

  “What happened?” Collin asked, not liking where this was going.

  “We hid in the forest. Both of us take BT76, so we were safe in the wild. We had bug out bags with us and plenty of MREs to last a couple of weeks,” Ketan said. “Anyway, HAGS came in with troops. There was a convoy of transport trucks, lots of guns, and of course the helicopters circling overhead.”

  “What’d they do?” Specialist Turnbull asked, leaning forward.

  “They rounded up the survivors and took them. Well, the women and girls anyway. The men were shot. Dropped like diseased cattle.” Ketan rubbed a hand over his face. “It was ... was ... a fucking crime against humanity.”

  Collin and Turnbull cursed aloud.

  “We knew something was coming, but not that. Since neither of us knew why our friend told us to leave, we came here to ask Logan for help. We still haven’t met with him,” Ketan said, meeting Collin’s eyes. “Can we speak with him please?”

  Collin shook his head slowly. “I’m afraid Major Logan is dead. It’s a long story. It didn’t happen that long ago, and I would guess you guys were probably here when it did.”

  Neither of the people before Collin seemed like a threat to Goshen, unless this was part of an elaborate ruse. He could sense the truth in their voices and see the heartache in their eyes. A brief flicker of shock crossed their faces.

  “Obviously reaching out to Mac was a disaster,�
� Ketan said. “So, I guess this is it then. We’re here at your mercy as former HAGS employees.”

  “I’d like to ask you two to stay in the high school with the Eagles,” Collin said after a brief hesitation. “They can keep an eye on you there to make sure Mac doesn’t get his hands on you again.” He paused. Collin hadn’t meant to sound inappropriate, but he had found them nude. He glanced at Hannah and she seemed to read his mind.

  “They never put their hands on me like that,” she said firmly. “I was stripped more for humiliation, really.”

  Ketan nodded, looking relieved. “Well thank God they didn’t –”

  “There is no God,” Hannah said sharply.

  “I’m starting to agree with you on that one,” Collin said in a grave tone.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Koby’s jury rigged alarm clock, made with two old egg timers, woke Collin. His first urge was to throw the stupid contraption against the wall.

  Instead, he stretched out on his bed, suffering from soreness and lack of energy after the raid, the loss of more Eagles, and the stress of the attack that led to Koby’s horrific injury. With a loud yawn, Collin sat up slowly. It was time for the Vipers to return. Bleary eyed, he glanced angrily at the alarm clock as the second egg timer rang. Collin had been asleep for sixteen years, but today he wanted nothing more than a snooze button.

  Shower time, he thought.

  Looking down at himself, he realized he was still dressed in his raid outfit. Collin slowly unbuckled, unstrapped, and unbuttoned his ensemble and shuffled slowly to the sink. Instinctively he reached up, pulling the mirrored door to the wall mounted medicine cabinet open. He rubbed his squinted eyes to clear them and let out a sigh. The cabinet was empty, but for some reason his body and mind had expected there to be a bottle of ibuprofen in there. That is where he would have kept it before the civilized world ended. Collin felt dejected, knowing there would be no medical relief for his aching muscles. He lumbered his way into the shower and turned on the water.

  As hot water poured over him, relaxing his muscles, Collin thought about what it meant to be the President of the United States at a time like this. What were his responsibilities now? Did anyone else other than Doc know? If no one really knew, did he have any responsibility? Who had taken over control of the government? Surely they’d decided he was dead after sixteen years without contact. Shit, was there even a government left?

  Climbing out of the shower, Collin wrapped a towel around his waist and went down to the kitchen to make coffee. He needed to be alert for the challenges that lay ahead.

  When he arrived at the bridge twenty minutes later, he was greeted by a pair of Eagles standing guard.

  “Good morning, sir,” Specialist Bohannon said, as she and Private Hollister saluted.

  “Good morning,” he replied with a nod, dropping his salute. “Carry on. I’m just here to wait for the Vipers.”

  “Yes, sir,” Private Hollister responded.

  “Looks like you timed it perfectly, sir,” Specialist Bohannon said, pointing at the tree line.

  Collin saw movement and watched as Brady emerged with Tiny’s hulking form right behind him. Both of them were walking next to horses as they led their people out of the woods and down one of the paths through the farmland. Seeing Brady and Hunter brought up a surge of emotion. With all that had gone on since his boy left, he was so grateful they seemed to be no worse for the wear.

  When Brady spotted Collin standing on the bridge, he raised his hand and waved as he lit up with a broad smile. Brady turned and must have said something to Tiny, who gave a small wave that was more like a casual salute. Collin returned the gesture.

  Handing his reins to Tiny, Brady broke out into a quick jog and crossed the field. He slowed as he neared the bridge, strode up to Collin, and wrapped him in a big hug.

  “Good to see you again, kid,” Collin said.

  “You too, Dad.” Brady pulled back and looked up into Collin’s eyes. A curious look crossed his face. “What’s wrong?”

  “More than before you left,” Collin said in a grim tone. “Come on, let’s walk and talk.”

  “Okay.”

  Collin glanced at Specialist Bohannon.

  “We’ll direct them in, sir,” she said when she caught his gaze. “I’ll lead them to the school myself, sir.”

  “Very good, Specialist. Thank you.” Collin returned the salute again.

  “I had a revelation while you were gone. A lot of things from the past were stirred up and I remembered ... things.”

  “Oh?” Brady looked at him with a sly grin.

  “Like being on a certain airplane, seeing you, and ...” Collin’s voice trailed off. How could he say it without sounding arrogant?

  “Becoming the President?” Brady said, smiling.

  “You knew?”

  “Yes, but I wasn’t sure you did. I remember the Justice swearing you in. I remember the crash. All of it,” Brady said. “That’s a lot to grapple with after meeting your son for the first time in nearly two decades. I’m glad you remember now.”

  Collin let out a deep breath. He wasn’t imagining stuff, and Dr. Horner was being honest about it. “That’s such a relief. I thought I was going crazy. Did you tell anyone?”

  “Agent Faber, he was in the crash and terribly hurt,” Brady said, his voice growing thick at the memory. He swallowed hard. “He told me to keep it secret. I did for a long time, but then I told Anna. Funny thing was, she already knew.”

  “She would. Her mother knew as well. Julie thought it was best to keep it from me until I regained some memory.” Collin rubbed his chin. “How did you survive the crash?”

  “That is one thing I don’t know. Just plain dumb luck, I guess,” Brady said with a shrug.

  “But you talked to Faber?”

  “Yeah. I think I was still strapped into my seat when I came to. He was talking to us, trying to wake us up. Faber couldn’t reach us because he was trapped by wreckage, but he gave me a ‘quick briefing’ as he called it.” Brady chuckled sadly. “Next thing I remember, I woke up in a tent. Just a normal looking bright orange camping tent.”

  Collin’s eyebrows raised.

  “There was an older man who helped me heal from my injuries. Mostly minor scrapes and bruises, but my back was terribly strained. He only told me his nickname, Q. It wasn’t until much later I learned it stood for Quillen, but all of us still just called him Q. He was a Marine, like you were, and he raised me as if I was his own son.” Brady shifted the bow on his shoulder like a backpack.

  “Go on.” Collin was entranced and grateful to this Q character.

  “He was the leader of the Vipers. At least until we had a shortage of BT76. Q gave his dose to help others and well, he succumbed to the fever. Basically, I’m alive today because of Q,” Brady said. “There’s something else.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m immune to the fever.”

  Collin looked at Brady and slowly nodded. If Julie had given him the serum before the supplies were destroyed, he was certain she would have told him. “How is that? Anna?”

  Brady shrugged. “Don’t know. It’s just always been that way,” he said, matter of fact.

  “Good genes then, I guess,” Collin said with a smirk. A small stroke of luck too, if Brady was in fact immune, then Dr. Horner could draw blood from him as well. Hope took root in the back of Collin’s mind.

  “Maybe. But I’m not sure it’s genetic,” Brady said. His tone was unsure and wistful.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I think –”

  “Collin! Brady! What’s this I hear about trouble in town?” Tiny’s deep voice boomed at them.

  Father and son looked at each other, and then Collin turned to Tiny as the big man strode up to them. The length of the man’s stride was like a giant, but he moved with the grace of a jungle cat. Collin was grateful Tiny was on his side. When it came time to face HAGS, which was looking ever more inevitable, Tiny would be
a force to be reckoned with.

  “Yeah, about that ...” Collin rubbed his chin, looking at both Brady and Tiny with concern.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Tiny let out a big breath and leaned against an oak tree of considerable size. Clearly upset, the giant of a man punched the tree hard enough that Collin swore he heard acorns shake free and hit the ground around them. Collin took a deep breath himself and finished filling them in on the situation in Goshen since their departure.

  “I know it’s a major blow,” Collin said. “I assure you we’re going to hunt down Mac and bring him to justice. In the meantime, we need to get Julie supplies so she can make the serum again.”

  “How can they hate us so much?” Brady asked.

  “Well, Mac isn’t your average piece of shit. He also works for HAGS. He kept two former colleagues locked up in his barn. They quit HAGS and came here seeking answers, but got stripped and tortured instead,” Collin said.

  Brady’s face grew red. “We’ll help you however we can.”

  Before Collin could thank Brady, Tiny turned and said, “I’d like to check in on Koby.”

  “Certainly. Let’s go.” Collin motioned for them to follow. “Although we don’t have any more of the serum, we do have a vast supply of BT76, which is all yours. At last count, I heard we had eleven crates worth, more than enough to tide us over until Dr. Horner can get her lab back up and running.”

  “Eleven crates worth,” Brady repeated. “Christ, how did he stash so much?”

  “Greed, I suppose. It’s hard to say, but that includes the two crates we received from HAGS when Denard showed up. Still, it is an absurd amount to have hidden away,” Collin said.

  “You have my thanks.” Tiny nodded. Collin was happy to see the man’s temper was not as big as his biceps.

  “It’s not much, but it’s a start. I’m truly sorry we lost all the serum. That was careless.” Collin frowned as he stared at the ground. How did they let the stock stay unprotected?